Category Archives: Chair REMEDIATION

The essential requirements to avoid backache (LBP) associated with sitting. Includes backrests, tilted seats, exercise, adjustments & comfort. Also Sit/Stand , stools, child chairs & special needs.

A quick overview

  

THE OPTIMUM SITTING POSITION FOR PROLONGED WORK.

  • Why has it taken so long to design a chair that addresses all the factors that may account for backache (LBP) on prolonged sitting?
  • Is it that the full solution indicates a chair that looks too strange?
  • It suggests that office workers in the future may be in a reclined position most of the time or walking about.
  • This conclusion is derived from scientific work on :-

☛Spinal anatomy, ☛pathology & ☛paleoanthropology

☛Spinal biomechanics

and 50 years of experience

And has resulted in a 2Tilt chair solution

When first advanced 1n 1998 it was viewed with complete incomprehension by chair designers and manufacturers.  Now, in 2015,  they say “We agree,but ….” . Familiarity bias rules!

Once the main adverse effects of upright sitting are recognised then it becomes possible to consider the options available for remediation.   This is a resource for the design of chairs to avoid the associated LBP.   It should be an essential tool for any chair designer.

The adverse effects of upright sitting

sitting adverse effects

These adverse biomechanical factors  have to be addressed to ensure a sitting position that is the least likely to perpetuate, or result in, LBP and other symptoms.   The obvious, and perhaps only, solution was for prolonged work to be performed in a chair that has a stable, correctly supported, supine reclined mode.

The 2 TILT chair CONCEPT.

The 2 Tilt (2T) chair concept is derived from the existing scientific work, already enumerated, to optimise the bio-mechanical spinal requirements  for prolonged sitting.

Screen Shot 2015-10-07 at 13.43.22•Biomechanics suggest that a correctly configured reclined, relaxed, mode is the optimum for prolonged sedentary work.  The 2T reclined mode→

•This requires a 2nd upright mode for certain short tasks.  Hence the 2T concept.    Upright modes→

•The intermediate positions should be unstable and easily negotiated.   The unstable intermediate mode→

This leads on to the 2T ‘deskless’ chair or work-station.

Advantages

  • Reduced office footprint.
  • 2T requirements easier to achieve.

And some considerations :-

•☛ essential requirements →

•☛ Adjustments?

•☛ Comfort?→

•☛ Exercise & movement

•☛ 2T / Desk interface

•☛ 2T in the office →

•☛ Criticism →

RECAPITULATION & selling points

 A technical ‘fix’ is required if the increase in spinal morbidity and cost to industry of absenteeism and stress due to LBP is to be halted.

  • For a quick overview of the subject for non-specialists.
  • Western societies are unique in adopting, relatively recently (200 years), the mid-upright chair  for everyday sedentary work.
  • More recently there has been a reduction of exercise and horse-back riding.
  • The increase in Low Back Pain (LBP) has mirrored these changes.
  • This results in personal morbidity, loss of earnings and huge cost to industry.
  • The mid-upright sitting position details seem to have been codified in the 1920s as a result of a false premise (see the account of  Mandal AC. The Seated Man. Dafnia Publications. Denmark; 1985). It continues to be accepted as ‘correct’.
  • Recent scientific work on spinal pathology and biomechanics show that these ‘correct’ details are flawed and seriously adverse to spinal well being. Pressure studies of spinal loading show that upright sitting itself may be adverse. The mid-upright mode also carries other marked defects, such as backward tilting of the pelvis, which are accentuated if the 90° hip angle (seat parallel to floor) or if lumbar (as opposed to iliac) support is incorporated.
  • At present many work chairs can be unkindly designated as ‘Machines for making Backache’. A technical ‘fix’ is required if the increase in spinal morbidity, and cost to industry of absenteeism and stress due to LBP is to be halted.
  • The biomechanical imperatives show that a safe chair can easily be achieved with the ‘2 Tilt principle’.

See 

Next ☛  →

COMFORT

Evidence, for design, based on the perception of comfort, is biomechanically worthless.   Conversely a chair that has correct biomechanics is always comfortable.   Correct Biomechanics = Maximum Comfort.       Discomfort is probably a different modality and is significant.

Screen Shot 2018-09-23 at 12.08.55It is very understandable that the chair industry regards comfort as it’s ultimate aim. That is what the users want and that is what pays.  Discomfort indicates that something is wrong.. However design based on a search for maximising ‘comfort’ can be misleading.  It is a treacherous guide  which only turns up truthfully when the bio-mechanics (ergonomics) are fully correct.  The correct answer should be the Hippocratic ‘Do no harm'”

This can only be effected from medico-scientific design.   Observation confirms  the working assumption that an optimised configuration would inevitably ensure maximum comfort.

The Public judges a chair by it’s immediate comfort and intelligently ignores the ergonomic benefits described by the salesman.   I am told that this is not so in China where the health benefits are paramount.Screen Shot 2018-06-11 at 21.01.07

 

I had rather forgotten about ‘comfort’ as it had been shot down by the scientific community as far back as 2003.  When  I asked several top chair designers at a trade show (2015) all gave  ‘comfort’ as their main objective.    They failed to understand that comfort, free from adverse effects, can only be achieved by an understanding of spinal biomechanics and necessary requirements incorporated into the design. Such a design is, by it’s nature, always comfortable.

This misunderstanding seems to have misled the industry up a wrong path which has resulted in the absence of any chair in the market that is not likely to exacerbate LBP on prolonged use.  Much of the ‘ergonomic’ research on  seating seems, to be based on the ‘comfort’ assumption. For example, “Trial 1. A test chair was created with 35 spring-loaded diodes to measure support in the lower back region by remote control. 200 test persons have adjusted the support in he lower back region again and again until they felt comfortable. The sensors provided the scientists with data which they evaluated using pressure mapping technology. The procedure was repeated several times and the results were clearly confirmed”.   This, based on biomechanically worthless evidence gives no help in assessing what is correct for the underlying spinal constituents.  Even today (2016) a Hermann Miller article writes as it’s 1st principle for design   “1. A chair should be perceived as comfortable before, during, and after sitting upon it. Comfort is as much a matter of the mind as of the body.”.   Perceived by the mind is perhaps OK, but is no substitute for the body (spine) which requires correct biomechanics.

Gorman, who developed the concept of ‘Iliac’ support and has been involved in car seat design, wrote to me   “Comfort tells you nothing” and continues “The car industry has to concentrate on comfort because we spend so much time sitting still in cars. They measure comfort as a lack of localised pressure and have lots of methods to measure it. This used to be large mats of little bubbles which could be individually measured for pressure. Now there are probably much better with mats of pressure sensitive material like large touch screens.  This was always a problem for me when I got my prototypes evaluated by Fiat, Magna, Chrysler, etc. My pelvic support does require force round the iliac crest so even if the seat was subjectively comfortable it would fall down on the pressure measurements”.

Rani Lueder wrote (19/8/12)

“On your comment about comfort, this link to my web pages discusses the origin or this, and the reason that no one really asks about comfort anymore, discomfort is pretty standard. Namely the Corlett and Bishop article (1976) completely turned our head on the issue. They pointed out that not only is comfort nearly impossible to measure in a predictable way, but it is not the opposite of discomfort – and may even be an entirely different dimension” .

Anecdotally, I have seen many chairs pronounced as marvelously comfortable and ergonomically ‘correct’, which have biomechanics faults.  I was asked to see a control room which was responsible for the UK nationwide supply of a major utility. The control room had been optimised for it’s indoor environment so that the air quality, lighting, sound abatement, humidity and colour scheme were marvelous. Everyone was happier, and absenteeism and minor morbidity had decreased. The exception was that backache had remained constant. I found that the workforce, had been allowed to choose the chair. Of course, the most wonderful, expensive, all singing, all dancing chair had been chosen. The staff gave it full marks in the questionnaire. The only trouble was that it gave inadequate support to the lumbar spine.

A chair designed along 2T (3M) principles was judged “This chair is much too comfortable. My work force will go to sleep”. This was the comment of a CEO  who was lying on the prototype P1.  Seat and backrest were of roughly, but correctly, moulded plywood with no padding whatsoever.  This was a common reaction of management.   A 2M (2T, BiModal) or 3M design (TriModal) is based entirely on bio-mechanical research and, pro tem, can be used for comparison to assess the effectiveness of any chair design.

 The 2T is the default  against which the ergonomics of any chair can be assessed.    An essential tool for chair designers. It is optimally comfortable.  2T CONCEPT a full solution

A converse approach.

The comfort of the 2T concept was constantly remarked regardless of the nature of back & seat components.   This, to some extent,confirmed the working assumption that an optimised configuration would inevitably ensure maximum comfort.  The scientific evidence shows optimised configuration can only occur in a reclined mode.

The ergonomic research approaching from the opposite direction and largely financed by industry, was suspect.   This is changing.  A recent overview editorial by P. Vink in Applied Ergonomics  has evaluated a number of comfort/discomfort models and has proposed a new one.  This draws heavily from the work of Moes, N.C.C.M., 2005 and De Looze,2003.

Although the work of Kee and Lee is described which stresses physical loading and posture holding time,  torque at joints, and compressive force at L5/S1, a number of less bio-mechanic related factors are included.  These include the physical environment + task, psychosocial factors, internal human body effects  and aesthetic design.  Although interesting these are hardly relevant to chair design.                                                 HAS

Next. The 2T chair is intended for office use and office environment in general.  See ☛ 2T in the office→

☛ Exercise & movement

Next ☛SLEEP →

 

 

EXERCISE & movement

Exercise, spinal movement & change of position are important for a number of reasons including IV disc nutrition, for general health and for the avoidance of LBP.    

Effect of movement on the IV disc

An account of this can be seen at ☛ Disc Nutrition & Spinal Movement.→ .   It has been shown that disc nutrition depends on the pumping action of pressure changes due to changes of position and is probably important in avoiding later degenerative changes.  In the context of chair design, movement is comforting and avoids the adverse effects of a prolonged constrained static upright mode on general health (See (Lueder R 2002).

Effect of axial loading  on sitting

Originally Nachemson and others showed that the standing position had a lower intradiscal pressure than upright sitting.  This suggested that incorporating sitting and standing, with a sit/stand desk, could be beneficial if designed into an office environment.   This concept  has slowed following later work (Wilke 1999) showing less difference in sitting and standing intra-discal pressures than was first thought and the general recent ergonomic improvement of office chairs.    Most people prefer sitting, because it is energy efficient with less action by the Erector Spinae & leg muscles than when standing.

The Sit Stand concept

A comeback is occurring as the  importance of keeping staff exercised is recognised and  there are situations where the concept is applicable.   The Sit Stand concept is bio-mechanic superior to the prolonged use of most existing upright chairs and the negative consequences of constrained sitting which has been described by a number of authorities.   On the other hand, although it side-steps the issue of poor office seating it does not address the ergonomic requirements for prolonged work.

 

Screen Shot 2018-06-16 at 13.25.30

A ‘stand’ mode can  be incorporated into the 2T concept with a 3M ‘desk-less’ workstation.  This extra mode results in the  4M workstation, the first change since the inception of the concept in 1998 (and a ‘full’ solution).

Wobbly chairsScreen Shot 2018-09-22 at 14.05.14There is a recognition that prolonged constrained static postures are uncomfortable and deleterious for both spinal and general health.   Recently there has been interest in continuous small amplitude movement for upright chairs, the chair re-aligning with the users centre of gravity,  and termed  ‘Dynamic Seating’.     Exercise is required to maintain this position This provides proprioceptive feedback and frequent small amplitude pressure changes which may be comforting for short periods and helps multifidus muscle action. Rani  Lueder  gives a review account (Lueder R 2002) and the referenced evidence→ is considerable.

Screen Shot 2016-03-14 at 13.35.24

A few chairs are considered in this respect → various chairs. How do they measure up? .

Other ‘movement’  systems

Screen Shot 2015-11-21 at 17.15.57The Dondola hinge system allows a controlled all-round instability and a trial when incorporated in a Wagner chair showed reduction of morbidity when compared to the chair without the system.  However, there have been versions of floating, movable seats over the years with springs, rubber doughnuts, wobbly balls etc.  Not hugely commercially successful, they lacked stability in sitting and so were tiring and uncomfortable particularly for the legs which had to be used to maintain the stability that was not provided by the seat. This may be the same with the Dondola free float but the website is uninformative on the mechanism.   They say   “Nowadays we spend up to 14 hours in a seated position. 50% of all Germans suffer at least once a year from back pain, 25% already suffer chronically. For many this means a permanent Screen Shot 2015-12-12 at 21.10.55psychological strain. The top priority for Wagner is to go against this and increase the performance by caring about the people’s well-being. The most important criteria when buying an office chair, is not if it moves, but how it moves!”

Therapeutic exercise

The effort of balancing to maintain this position exercises the small deep (Multifidus) muscles of the back and helps them to regain their reflex supply following an episode of LBP by what is known as proprioceptive neuromuscular feed back. (☛Muscles→) Spinal instability occurs quickly after any spinal disorder and does not easily recover (Hides Wobble ball1996) so physiotherapist have developed a wobbly ball for therapeutic exercise when the pelvis is in the correct position. Wilke (1999) gives an intradiscal pressure of MPa 0.5 for
sitting on an ergonomic sitting ball with straight back compared to MPa 0.27 when sitting slouched.     Who wants to sit on a wobbly ball in an office?

The 3M (2T) chair

The 2T concept is simple and requires two STABLE positions. (‘stable’ is used in the ergonomic and not the engineering use of the term) and an unstable intermediate transition mode.  With physiological benefits this can be considered as a mode the 2T then becomes a Triple-Mode (3M) concept.  See 2T CONCEPT a full solution→

3M. The 2T inherent exercise system.  The concept has a similar effect in the unstable transitional mode with the uncertain advantage that the lateral component, which may strain the facet joints if used continuously, is avoided. So a patient can exercise discreetly and safely following an episode of backache while using a 2T chair.   It also has the advantage that, although no controls are allowed in this mode, it is under the control of the user by entering one of the 2 stable positions at the end of range.

 3M.  Exercise in the transition mode.

  •  Effort, and abdominal muscle activity is required to bring the chair up from the reclining to the upright sitting mode.  The frequency of this maneuver depends on the number of activities performed in this position   As already described, position changes are important for the nutrition of the intervertebral disc which occurs with spinal movement and in particular by the pumping action of the compression/decompression when changing from a supine to upright posture.
  • A further exercise system emerges when the user moves back a few degrees from the forward upright mode and enters the near upright unstable intermediate mode.   Here small amplitude movement is required providing a choice equivalent to  ‘Dynamic Seating’.
  • Additionally 2T chair has to be pulled or swung towards the work-top or pushed away from it, depending on which mode is suitable for the task in hand.
  • Is all-round wobble would preferable to simple anterior/posterior  instability?

3M. Additional systems

These can include a sprung footrest to provide comforting exercise for the calf muscles. These muscles have an important pumping action to aid venous return to the heart and to prevent venous thrombosis.

 3M. A standing mode is easily included in a 3M workstation and would be an advantage in working with a colleague.  This extra mode results in a workstation.   See ☛ 4M concept.→

Stools

A number of bio-mechanically efficient stools have been produced which usually incorporate a FTS, contouring and sometimes iliac support.

Screen Shot 2015-09-30 at 15.15.20☜ The Pesko ERGO FLEX M 1_1 also incorporates a ‘wobble”.

 Sleep.

A reverse concept!  Short periods of sleep (napping) has benefits resulting in increased productivity   See ☛ SLEEP→

ADJUSTMENTS?

A plethora of adjustments is confusing and can be adverse if adjusted wrongly.  Ideally they should be avoided as far as is possible.

Chair designers place emphasis on variability and adjustability for greater comfort.
“One size does not fit all. The amazing diversity of human form requires a chair that can adapt to different shapes and proportions as well as different heights and weights.”

size1

The variability of the torso shown in these body types is mainly due to the soft tissues. There is surprisingly little variability in the underlying supporting skeleton of the torso.  A greater understanding of spinal anatomy shows that variation occurs at the periphery – the  long (limb) bones and the neck.

Adjustments should be avoided, as far as possible, except for the head and feet and possibly height of seat.  As variation in size of the skeleton of a human torso is not great except for the soft tissues and to the long (limb) bones there is no need for variability to be built into the chair parts that support the torso. With most chairs these are adjusted into the wrong position! This flies in the face of chair designers who are searching for the Holy Grail of infinite adjustability an entirely misplaced endeavour and merely another example of ‘familiarity bias‘.   If a manufacturer prefer a plethora of adjustments, although increasing costs and degrading the green footprint, this does not entirely negate the 2T principles. Although as far as possible, adjustments should be avoided, the footrest position must adjust to leg-length.

Scrapping adjustments

A number of adjustments can be scrapped.  They make the whole system confusing and fiddly, not to mention, expensive.   As shown under the 2T concept the only adjustments required with an anatomically correct design are for the length of the foot-rest, the height of the seat, and vertically and A-P for the head-rest.  Other adjustments should be viewed with scepticism and not as an advantage.   `Scrapping adjustment controls would make any chair more friendly to the user.  Win-Win for everyone including office managers!  Manual adjustments are equivalent to double declutching in motoring.  Days long past!  Misconceived regulations may constrain this concept in some respects but can usually be circumvented.

3D printing in the manufacturing of a 2T chair would allow a ‘ bespoke, tailor-made’ version for individual users and is particularly relevant for those with ‘special needs’.

Variation at the head and neck

In the reclined mode a line of sight to the desk top is required which must accomodate axial variations in neck length and a degree of cervical flexion.  The last can be obtained by reducing the reclination to a more upright configuration which loses some bio-mechanic advantage.  The upper lumbar/thoracic kyphosis can safely be increased as it spans some 14 joints.  The thoracic joints, splinted by the ribs, is regarded as unable to flex but may be able to achieve about 5° overall and more at the upper lumbar joints.  This increase in flexion allows less cervico-thoracic flexion to ensure a horizontal line of sight.

The adjustment for the head-support should be at a lower  thoracic level which would allow flexion to extend over these extra joints.     It has an added advantage by ensuring a correct level for support of the shoulder girdle.

With a FTS in the upright mode the headrest becomes redundant.

 Pelvic support

The initial requirement of the 2T concept is ‘a reclined mode with correct support’. The word ‘correct’ should be emphasised.   There is an unnecessary  and unfortunate tendency, in more expensive chairs, to enable pelvic support to be varied in height.  This is unnecessary as there is little variation in the height of the iliac crest above a flat seat.  Adjustment should be scrapped so that it cannot be adjusted upwards into an adverse height above 20cm when ‘pelvic’ support changes to adverse ‘lumbar’ support.    In my experience adjustments are usually made in the wrong direction.  This was the case with the HM Aeron chair where the pelvic support should be only used at it’s lowest position.   Even this is high for a smallish person.  This height might only slightly reduce the mechanical efficiency for an unusually tall man but will not harm a small woman    Anecdotally, this is certainly my experience when looking at many ‘ergonomic’ chairs.  Invariably the adjustment allows support above 20cm and is commonly so mis-adjusted by the user. In some chairs the depth of pelvic support can be adjusted using an inflatable cushion similar to a sphygmomanometer.  Like any other it can be wrongly adjusted by the user searching for ‘comfort’.    

The design concept appears misconceived.  Only a nudge is required to prevent backward tilting of the pelvis and thereby comfort and, more important, the preservation of lordosis is ensured. Manufacturing costs are reduced. So scrap it!

Screen Shot 2014-02-05 at 11.59.11Screen Shot 2014-02-06 at 14.14.36

 

 

 

 

 

      (by HAS).                                                                (by Wicketts D, after Reynolds et al. 1982153)

For  pelvic (Iliac) support the pressure is directed to the posterior superior iliac spine at 168-146 mm. above the seat (+ 15mm for the soft tissues).  This distance does not vary greatly between individuals, +/- 22 mm.  among the adult population  and for this small amount of variability no adjustment is required.  168 mm. iliac support would be optimal for a large man but adverse for a small woman.  The importance of this measurement for chair design has not been appreciated and further assessments would be welcome.  Three models may be required to cover the top percentile of very large men, the middle percentiles and the bottom percentile for a very small woman.

In the reclined mode of the 2T (3&4M) solution→ , iliac support is only required to prevent the lumbar lordosis from flattening.  In the upright mode it plays no, or little, part  with a FTS but is important and has to be correctly configured if the seat is flat & horizontal or in the ‘ischial off-load’ system.

The height of a chair is important for an upright chair, but less so for a fully reclined chair. Anthropometric tables for popliteal (below knee) height has includes work by Pheasant (1990) and in a more homogenous group of women in the US forces of whom 35% required seats lower than 16 inches (Gordon 1988).  A study (Takeoka 1991 ) of 200 Japanese women concluded that office chairs should adjust down to a height of 141⁄2 inches.   Mandal, for a 671⁄2” (172 cm) girl, found that a tilted seat height of 25” gave a hip angle of 42° and required a table height of 36” (91 cm).

Much of this becomes redundant in the context of the 2 Tilt principles. In the reclined mode the variability in the human torso can be contained in a single construct, provided that there is vertical adjustment for the head and feet. Adjustments may be required for individuals of unusual shape or have deformities, for example permanent adjustment for the width between armrests. Shifting the position of the tilting fulcrum may be required and this adjustment should be effected with an Allan key or spanner by someone who understands anatomy. My observation that most chairs are adjusted into the wrong direction is confirmed by an article in Hermann Miller (research). Three overall sizes can be allowed!   An account of kinematic reclination in the Aeron chair can be seen on the HM website→

Tension control & adjustment

Commonly advertised as a selling point.   I am not sure why.  The  monocoque P3 at MfI, Cambridge had a simple fulcrum tilting method.  I was expecting this to need adjustments but a trial with a large available porter made no difference to the movement.  Would an engineer kindly explain?Photo on 10-08-2012 at 13.16

Uptake? Implications?

  Implications? Familiarity bias.

A chair that is ergonomically superior to any other is likely to have an effect on the market.

  • The ergonomics are the most important attribute for any chair used for prolonged use.
  • The 2T concept has an additional therapeutic advantage with the unstable intermediated (3M) mode.
  • Allows a variety of models, from simple inexpensive to top end, expensive.
  • If a commercial model is shown, by controlled double blind field trials, to be superior to any other chair in the market it is likely to dominate that market.
  • It is easily translated into a workstation.
  • Some chairs are already beginning to appear.   Not fully compliant to the 2T concept, they have failures.   See →WORK-CHAIRS, a new breed with a reclined mode.

Ten years ago, the advantage of the 2T concept was apparent to John Jukes, a pioneer in the optimisation of the office environment  and Prof. Derek Clements-Croom, Director of Research in the School of Construction Management and Engineering at the University of Reading.  Also the reaction of most who had experienced LBP was immediately positive – “Where can I buy this chair” (of course, they couldn’t).   The reaction of chair designers and manufacturers was different.        Blank incomprehension.  Mainly due to ‘Familiarity bias’.

Screen Shot 2015-12-10 at 18.07.31Western people have been indoctrinated that adverse mid upright sitting (See ☛Mandal→) is ergonomically ‘correct’ and have sat in this sort of chair since childhood and so  ‘Familiarity bias’ results. This is a normal reaction of people who have only experienced one way of doing things and results in various levels of denial and incomprehension, when exposed to anything new.  This mind-set can prevent them from seeing the real benefits of a chair that is scientifically shown to be correct but looks different and is actually more comfortable.   It will take time to change this perception and will happen once chairs designed on bio-mechanically correct lines are manufactured and their advantages explained.  Those who are liable to backache will be the first to see the advantages and will create a demand.   The newer generation is more open to fresh ideas and takes quickly to a 2T design.   Insurance is already begining to take an interest (personal communication).

However, as mentioned, perceptions are changing.   At a major international design show in London on 19th Sept. 2013, I found several major Scandinavian and German manufacturers who accepted my views but hesitated to translated them into actual products.  I was even invited to Germany!    This year (2015) several designers said “I have read your views and agree, But…..” .   Which was usually ‘Familiarity Bias’.   Offices of companies like Google, Skype and Facebook, iare like a playground with innovative furniture which would have looked outrageous ten years ago.  The 2T concept that I introduced in 1998 also looked outrageous ten years ago.   It is now begining to look quite ordinary although designers have difficulty in recognising the underlying bio-mechanical essentials.

For example, recliner chairs are only suitable for home use.  A 2T (or 3M) chair is different only because it can be used as a work chair.   Will people buy recliners when a cheaper and better designed dual purpose chair comes on the market?  This may also be particularly relevant to the growing ‘gamer’ market.

To my question “what is the most important factor in chair design?”The answer,  wrongly’ was always :-Comfort. (See Comfort→)

 

This work is not protected and is pro bono publico.    I am available for advice or consultation.   But you will have to be quick!   CONTACT

You are advised to trawl through the whole work to get the full picture.   But for details, see     and check with the menu →

 

Screen Shot 2013-12-31 at 12.36.29
ImplicationsThe physical and emotional stressor effect due to discomfort and LBP is reduced and results in higher productivity.  This offsets the slightly higher cost of a slightly greater footprint which can anyway be completely abolished or reduced by the use of work-stations (See 4M→) or  better office design and layout (see office design).   Anyone who has suffered or is suffering from LBP immediately recognise the significance of a 2T chair and themselves create a demand.     HAS 

Next ☛References

 

 

 

Various chairs. How do they measure up?

Ergonomics of sitting safely.   My remarks are intended only to illustrate points in relation to the 2T (3M) concept.   Much work has been done in the design of office chairs as a result of the general perception that ’correct Ergonomics of sitting safely’ is required for the avoidance of LBP.   In spite of the efforts of chair designers  prolonged sitting still results in backache.

The spine is only affected by the bio-mechanics presented to it.    An upright work mode can only be a partial solution  and can only go some way to meet the spinal Screen Shot 2018-11-28 at 15.32.37bio-mechanical challenge.      A knowledge of the 2T concept, a full solution, is helpful for the understanding of the following comments.   Hype and selling points, bells & whistles and apparent comfort are irrelevant.   I have yet to see any office chairs on the market that I could recommend for prolonged sitting although the information has been available since 1989.

A garden recliner.  It has only two positions.  Both are shown.  Simple but very comfortable with an easy, adjustment free transition.  It is a 2T system and provides a clue to the development of an office chair and is a forerunner of many of the principles expressed.
Screen Shot 2018-10-21 at 17.50.16

Screen Shot 2013-09-19 at 17.01.57Another garden chair, from France, which now claims to be a recliner and make zero gravity a selling point.  I approached them originally with this suggestion and heard no more. The  leg-rest retraction is interesting, simple and has points for a 2Tilt construct.

I do not know if their move was post hoc or propter hoc.

Screen Shot 2013-09-19 at 17.07.27
This young lady looks very happy!          But perhaps she would be happier with leg and neck support? →

Screen Shot 2013-09-19 at 17.08.56A common sight.  If he had correct neck support he could get on with some work.  Admittedly he would need a better computer screen, correctly placed.   Nice view!

 

Screen Shot 2013-09-19 at 17.02.39An example of a zero-gravity, reclining chair.  It has variable tilt and in the fully recline position the legs are above the level of the head. The headrest is adjustable and pelvic support is possible. The upholstery might give rise to heat build up.       See ☛Recliners→.

Screen Shot 2014-02-13 at 13.06.54

← Good in theory, but I have never actually dared to sit on one.

 

The Hermann Miller Aeron

HM1The Aeron chair has been chosen for consideration as an example of a top-range, highly engineered and carefully designed upright office chair. Originally launched in 1994 and  developed from an earlier study into furniture for the elderly, with a recliner chair as the inspiration, it incorporated a mesh construction in place of, the then, more common foam-filled upholstery.    I was impressed on first seeing this chair and wrote to the effect that it  could be seen in most design offices. I liked it’s ability to recline to 45°, as a step towards a 2T Chair, and the mesh construction and remarked that it dissipated heat build-up but also support, of which,at that time, there was none.    It shares the same biomechanic problems as any other mid-upright chair.   Like them it seems to have reached the limits for remediation with only limited success.

The late John Jukes, who was investigating the incidence level of office musculo-skeletal symptoms, wrote to me “The ergonomic stress symptom pattern is no different to the average office chair.   He also told me that he suggested to them that Gorman’s ‘pelvic support’ should be incorporated in their office chairs HM2but said this was ignored at that time.  Perhaps annoyed by his rebuff, having at last achieved a form of pelvic support, he later wrote “Henry.  A large percentage of staff throw out the lumbar support bar because it is too hard and uncomfortable. They do have a pelvic support now. However it has the same problem in that the support is concentrated at the base of the spine and not the iliac crest.”  He later wrote “It now incorporates pelvic support and so can be regarded, with reservations, as offering a semi-partial solution to the problem of LBP”.     Screen Shot 2013-09-29 at 18.33.37The Gorman design,  suggested to them by John Jukes in the first place might have saved them and their clients, 2 decades  of trouble.    Gorman’s “Pelvic Posture Principle” is not generally understood and pressure is still directed above the pelvic brim and to the midline and not to the iliac crests. ☛Pelvic support

Evident in the photograph, above, the seat is convex, an example of the ‘Off Load’ system’ which the Makshous study showed to have biomechanic advantages.    The convex front half goes a little way to being a FTS accounting for  some users admitting that they usually perched on the front edge. This seat shape allows this chair to be upgraded from a simple upright chair.

Mirra 2 HMThe pelvic support, included with the ‘Off Load’ system, is the only component of the Hermann Miller, and other, ranges that can lift these otherwise well designed chairs from at least one of the seriously adverse effects of the common upright chair (‘machines for making backache’). The back support only becomes ‘iliac’ at it’s lowest adjustment,  A more user friendly plastic band whose depth can be adjusted replaces the uncomfortable adjustable (usually wrongly) rod.  The back view shows that it is still slightly too high and likely to act as an adverse lumbar support.

Screen Shot 2018-06-08 at 19.53.52The new Lino chair by Herman Millar mentions  sacral support, which ‘nudges you into better posture’.    “…the cleverest way is a design feature that subtly corrects your posture so that the chair doesn’t need to be adjusted so much—and thus doesn’t need all the moving parts that make other task chairs expensive.”  (This sounds as if they have read this work.)  A step in the right direction, at last, some 20 years after the recommendation of Jukes.  The photograph is of one of the co-designers, Sam Hecht of Industrial Facility, photographed by Gerhardt Kellerman.

The OKAMURA ATLAS chair & Cruise concept.

Okamura Atlas“Looks familiar, Henry?” was the message from John Jukes about this office chair.  Sure enough it showed the semi-reclined work position that I had been advocating since 1998.  Ten years after my original suggestion, Okamura has recognised the importance of a reclined mode in their Cruise concept. However, the 2T concept has additional requirements for it’s implementation to be effective for an office or work chair and not to be simply a recliner or a ’zero gravity chair’.

okamura1Screen Shot 2013-09-28 at 21.30.29The designers had probably not seen the principles that I had formulated and tested at Cambridge, to make this mode optimally functional.   In my opinion, the reclined mode made this chair the best on the market at that tme. It has plenty of room for improvement. For further consideration see ☛ Okamura Atlas→

OKAMURA CONTESSAThe OKAMURA CONTESSA chair 

 It includes some of my 2T points.  Okamura had, by now,  seen my ‘Sitting Safely’  (protected by an nda) and it is possible that the designer, Giugiaro, had also seen it too.

The OKAMURA LEOPARD chair       

Okamura LeopardNot intended as a work-chair, it is aesthetically superb and looks right, however the fixed head-rest is only excellent for contemplating the ceiling.      A forward tilt is possible but there is no contouring to prevent slipping and it seems to be used for rising from the chair.   The intermediate range is stiff which makes it difficult to fully recline.   The seat is fixed at a low level.  This allows the feet to rest on the floor in the reclined mode, as shown.  I am told that this causes problems for tall people who have tried it and an adjustable table may be required (no bad thing).   Essentially a waiting room chair, jt would ne unsuitable for office work.

Pledge BT3 20/20 (Task)

Gorman, an engineer turned chiropractor, worked with PLEDGE to produce office chairs incorporating pelvic support.   Controlled trials by John Jukes of VESTRA showed them to be significantly more effective in reducing back shoulder and neck pain, compared with similar chairs. and advocated the Pledge BT3 20/20 (Task) pelvic support chair to reduce LBP problems in the optimised office environment.   These office chairs, incorporating Gorman’s ‘pelvic (actually ‘iliac’)  support have been in use over the last 10 years and some 40,000 are in use.  It has been estimated that considerable savings  Screen Shot 2013-09-29 at 18.34.21Screen Shot 2013-09-27 at 22.34.23have resulted due to reduced absenteeism and increased staff performance due to the improved ergonomics (Jukes J).  Initial outlay of cost is also considerably less than the two chairs considered previously.☛ Pelvic Posture→

The Howarth Zody

This is another good upright office chair that incorporates ‘Pelvic Support’, here called  PAL™.  This allows it to be considered as a semi-partial solution for full Safe Sitting.

  • Haworth ZodyAs with any upright chair it has the inherent disadvantage of the increased axial loading.
  • It has the advantage of a forward tilt mode and a possibly adequate pelvic support in the upright mode.
  • It boasts high engineering, ergonomic research based on maximising comfort and many adjustments, bells and whistles.  ‘200 test persons have adjusted the support in the lower back region again and again until they felt comfortable.   The sensors provided the scientists with data which they evaluated using pressure mapping technology. The procedure was repeated several times and the results were clearly confirmed.’ All probably excellent but totally irrelevant for full biomechanical requirements.  See ☛ Comfort?→
  • To some extent this has been addressed by incorporating a pelvic support system. This fails as it is adjustable and does not have the comfortable V-shaped iliac support of the original Gorman ‘Pelvic Posture’ concept.
  • Questionably it also incorporates lumbar support. If adjusted to produce effective lumbar lordosis this would counteract the important pelvic support. Adjustment to reduce this effect is counter intuitive.   In my experience adjustments are usually made in the wrong direction.  People have preconceived ideas as to what ‘should’ be correct and can be misleading in efforts to determine what best addresses the  bio-mechanical imperatives.
  • Adjustment of the seat surface up to 7 cm to the front and back is irrelevant.  Only the ischial tuberosity must be supported.  Limitation of the backrest’s opening angle to six steps is also irrelevant. Ideally this should adapt to the full reclined mode and intermediate steps avoided.
  • When shifting the weight to the front, the seat surface follows with a slight inclination downwards.  This is good. If this was the only mode, then many of  the other supports and adjustments would become irrelevant….
  • Memory foam seat.  Excellent. A strong + point when tilted forward.
  • Only really suitable for short term sitting.

The Albion range

Screen Shot 2018-12-06 at 11.41.44Screen Shot 2018-12-06 at 11.42.47There is a wide range of reasonably ergonomic office chairs.   Their Spynamic range claim extra ergonomic advantages. The chair shown on the left has a somewhat over long seat-pad but is is bettered in the example on the right.   It looks as if there may be messy unneccesary adjustment controls.  http://albionchairs.com/office-chairs-by-application.htm

 

Screen Shot 2017-05-08 at 15.03.35Ferrari gets into seating

Peter Bessey sent me this ref. with the comment “Guess they missed an opportunity to work with your specs, Henry.   Would have been interesting to see them come up with a properly engineered solution, alongside the carbon fibre composites.   All the best,  Peter”      

Yes.   Only really suitable for short term sitting. HAS

<http://www.solidsmack.com/design/ferrari-unveils-two-sports-car-inspired-desk-chairs-milan-design-week/>

The Modern Zure Office Chair

Screen Shot 2018-06-22 at 19.17.18“Boldly going where no chair has gone before. The Zure takes you to a new comfort destination. Our unique range of this distinctive, uber stylish posture perfect seating solution has it all.  There is fine mesh, fully upholstered, partly upholstered and stunning flexible elastomer options. The seat and backrest are carefully contoured to provide maximum comfort.   The high-quality outer skeleton wraps the user in touch point technology. Padded armrests on the fabric and leather options provide pleasing eye-appeal whilst the elastomer versions have colour coded armrests.”  “Orthopaedic designed frame”.  Having bought the hype and the chair for $736, the user would be well advised to study BACKACHE? For users and patients (only)  if prolonged use is intended.   Only really suitable for short term sitting.

A selection from ‘Posturite’.

Screen Shot 2016-06-12 at 14.02.18

A good selection but only really suitable for short term sitting.

 Dynamic seating & motionWobble ball

The basic model in this category is the ‘Wobbly Ball’.  A good idea but who wants to sit on this in an office?  So let’s call it a ‘Balance’ chair.

Swing seatThe SwingSeat from SmartMotion Technology

Basically an upright chair. With the seat forward tilted, lumbar lordosis is ensured.   It’s self adjusting controls allow a range from about 40° of reclination from the upright to a 10° of forward tilt which is performed effortlessly, avoiding the usual confusing plethora of adjustment controls.  Manual controls are present for backrest height, angle, depth, resistance and seat height and armrest control.  The concept behind this design is to enable constant small amplitude spinal movement which helps ensure the pressure gradients required for adequate nutrition of the disc.   The ergonomic evidence for the importance of enabling movement which is comforting and ensures health of the disc constituents is summarised by Rani Leuder in Ergonomics Review of The Swing Seat  See  Lueder R. Anatomical, physiological and health Considerations relevant to the SwingSeat. 2002; Ergonomics Review.  She is President of Humanics ErgoSystems, ☛ www.humanics-es.com→

The PESKA chair
Screen Shot 2013-10-19 at 17.40.18This ‘dynamic’ chair  has the option to fix the balance mechanism. It recommends sitting on a balance chair only for a limited time, say 3 times a day for 30 minutes. Sitting on office chairs with active balance mechanism throughout the day would be the same as if you exercised continuously for 8 hours.  The same effect occurs with the unstable intermediate mode in the 2T concept, but with stable positions at the end of ranges there is no need for adjustment.

screen-shot-2016-09-21-at-20-44-26The KOEHL AIR-SEAT, from Holland.

“Stimulates multidimensional micro-movements and trains by frequent changes the low-lying back muscles. Balancing on the KOEHL AIR-SEAT by gentle lateral pelvic movements, by a pair of air cushions.   Emphasises the rehabilitation function.  Comforting and aids IV disc nutrition which helps avoid early disc degeneration.   http://www.koehl.com/fileadmin/user_upload/Dokumente/AIR_SEAT/koehl_Brosch_AIR-SEAT_29092014_EN.pdf

WAGNER chair

The Dondola hinge system allows a controlled all-round instability and a trial when incorporated in a Wagner chair showed reduction of morbidity when compared to office chairs without the system.  A full account is given in  ☛ EXERCISE & movement→

the BackStrong ChairBackStrong Chair

An awful example of OTT hype tells us that “this chair is’ the best in the world’ and ‘This means disrupting the seating industry -‘.  It was helped designed by ‘Dennis Colonello (D.C.), the top Chiropractor on Earth:.   See this at → BackStrong Chair

It appears to be an upright chair, needing a desk for work, This is likely to prove retrograd, even Dickensian (See Bessey in OFFICE WORK-STATIONS), in a few years when deskless chairs, as part of a sit/stand workstations, come on line.   As an upright chair it remains only a partial solution to the  bio-mechanic ill effects of proloned sitting. It’s remedial  points are :-

  • dynamic seating.   Called here ‘ Sit-In-Motion’.
  • A forward tilted seat (The FORWARD TILTED SEAT (FTS). )
  • This is helped by an independant moving seat pan.This reminds me of my 2013 Cambridge student model (See OFFICE WORK-STATIONS ) which is actually a full work station incorporating the 2T concept.
    • Screen Shot 2018-11-24 at 10.29.33This seat has the components to progress it to bio-mechanic (ergonomic) fully remediated office chairs for prolonged work.
    • I would urge the manufacturers to take advantage of this option which would result in a truly disruptive system that would sweep the chair industry.  Who wants to use a work-chair that is not ergonomically optimised?
  • Worrying is that the back support appears to extend above the pelvic brim.  In the verbal blurb it is described as ‘lower thoracic’ which would be bio-mechanically adverse  (See BACKRESTS. Pelvic support v. Lumbar.)..  Perhaps it would be as well if ‘the top Chiropractor on Earth’ had a word with John Gorman who is also a chiropractor with the advantage of a prior top engineering degree from Cambridge University.   Chiropractors are deeply suspicious, perhaps with reason, of us physicians.  I was trained by James Cyriax the ‘Father of Orthopaedic Medicine’ who wrote a book fiercely attacking Osteopaths and Chiropractors.  However Gorman overcame his suspicians as I discovered that he knew his spinal anatomy and bio-mechanics and we were speaking the same language.
  • Yet another “radically new” development which isn’t new except to those who came into the business recently (ie less than 30 years ago)”.  Unattributed, but guess who?
  •  In the present form it should probably not be used for longer than 6 hours.

chairsix‘ChairSix’ by Si Freeman

The design is sophisticated and simple – good.   The backrest is adjustable and can be adjusted to the adverse ‘lumbar’ position. – Bad.    Height location is critical. ☛ BACKRESTS. Pelvic support v. Lumbar.   The width of the back rest could be a problem for work-related activities.   If at a desk or table, its width impedes the elbow for keyboard and mouse activities. This issue was well-proven many years ago, by the design of chairs stretching back to Fred Scott’s Hille Supporto chair, where the narrowed spinal backrest was a deliberate feature and seems particularly popular in Scandinavian furniture designs still.     The seat(s) seem to be forward tilting – good.   The somewhat flexible, rubber foam pads which sit proud of the pan, on raised platforms, act as small pivots that adjust the pads to the body form and seemed to work well and gave a sense of flexibility and comfort to the seat pan. – good.      The 6 knobbles on the back-rest,may represent some type of ‘massage’ feature, as seen on some Asian add-in seat pads for vehicles and office seating and that the slight wobble from the pivoting pads, also provides the movement needed to move the back against them.  They are not in the mid-line – good.

It seems to me that ‘Pelvic Support’ and a FTS are not complementary but ‘either or’.  The  ISCHIAL OFF LOAD system gets round this with a convex seat-pan providing a FTS in front and slope towards pelvic support at the back.     In spite of these improvemrnts this remains an upright chair with their considerable ergonomic disadvantage.   Only OK for shortish sits as in a sit/stand office.  ☛ Sit Stand & stools

Cobhamly High Back Mesh Office Chair

Screenshot 2019-11-07 at 16.05.12

I have not seen this chair.  It seems to have ‘pelvic support’,   although possibly above the 20cm allowed height.   The price seems OK.   Their Boston High Back Executive leather effect operator chair. Features a heavy duty gas seat height adjustment and fully synchronised tilt to seat and back rest with adjustable tension control.   I do not know how this works out, But could probably be adjusted to comply with the 2T concept with optimised comfort.   It has features that suggest that the designer may have seen this blog.

 

 

 

 

 

AN EXISTENTIAL THREAT – A new breed of office chairs with a reclined work mode.

WORKCHAIRS, a new breed with a reclined mode.

As predicted this is begining to emerge.  A number of ‘workstation’ type office chairs are appearing which include a reclined work mode and so are superior to the present (2016) upright conventional upright models.  Appearing to ignore the science and based on engineering they do not invite a great uptake inspite of extensive PR.

AltmarkNow, in 2015, an office chairs is proposed, the Altwork  that has at least an upright and reclined work position as I had been advocating since 1998.  However, it fails the functionality of the 2t optimisation.   These faults could easily be corrected and so  with reservations, it is  potentially the best work-chair in the market. See a more detailed account in  WORKCHAIRS, a new breed with a reclined mode.→   .    .  also (http://altwork.com).

The Cambridge trials showed the elegance, simplicity, cost effectiveness  and greatly enhanced ergonomics of the 2T concept.  This provides an opportunity for the existing manufacturers and any entering the field.   Top manufacturers are already recognising that they have come to the end of the line for ergonomics. Backache (LBP) and other spinal & muscle-skeletal conditions still persist resulting in stress and lowered productivity.

BACKACHE? For users and patients (only)

OK.  So you use a chair and are liable to backache.   All this is very confusing and so what do you do?    I am no longer in the business of giving advice to patients and organisations.  However my interest in optimising chair design might allow me to offer some tips for users and patients (only).

Possible remediation.

If you have an expensive, top range chair or a cheap one, examine the section on how some of these relate to the 2T concept.  A good chair can be modified to approach the advantages of the 2T CONCEPT (see 2T CONCEPT a full solution →’).   This may help you modify your own chair.

  • Disable the adjustment that allows the pelvic support to be above 20 cm above the seat (?Chewing gum)    (see ‘Lumbar, pelvic/iliac support’)
  • Arrange for the adjustment control to allow easy back & forward movement.  Make the chair a 2T system – either reclined or forward but not intermediate. (Unstable intermediate mode→).
    • Intermediate ranges should be unstable.   They can be used as a rocking chair or as  therapeutic exercise following an acute episode of backache/lumbago.
  • In the upright mode the seat can be either tilted forward (see ‘The forward tilted seat), or arranged to take advantage of the pelvic support providing this is correctly modelled or a combination of both.
  • Apart from chair height and head/foot-rest, adjustments should be set accordingly and then ignored or fixed.
  •  If you are buying, a back shop can show a number of models and advise but be aware that they are trying to sell you something and tend to feed you the manufacturers hype.

If your chair is really basic you may need some widgets. Possibilities are

  • A wedged cushion on the seat which helps approximate to a ‘Forward Tilted Seat’ (FTS).  See  .Why? Mandal’s Homo sedens. The concept has been fully confirmed by research using pMRI scans.   See short account below.
    • Screen Shot 2016-05-10 at 20.14.08One I assessed, from America ªSITTS Posture Cushions.)  and wrote ” The seat pan is parallel to the floor (checked) but with some contouring that might add  2° .   The hip angle is shown to be 132° which is close to the optimum angle (130°) determined by pMRI studies to avoid  adverse movement of the Intervertebral disc contents (Smith FW et al. The Response of the Nucleus Pulposus of the Lumbar Intervertebral Discs to Functionally Loaded Positions. 2007;SPINE Volume 32, Number 14, pp 1508 –1512).  See → Positional MRI
    • The above confirms the views of AC Mandal  which he advocated in his book (Mandal. AC., The Seated Man (Homo sedens). 1985. Dafnia Publications,) are confirmed   He advocated a seat that was tilted forward and down by 20-30° from the horizontal, allowing the hips to extend to 120-130˚ and the pelvis to tilt forward with the lower spinal joints adopting the correct, safe, lordotic posture.   
    • With the seat tilted forward, note that the user is not constrained by a backrest and is free to move, the lumbar lordosis is maintained by the pelvis being tilted forward.   The versions with a steeper angle may have a problem with slippage.     Now in 2018 since writing the above on an early version, new improved  ones have been developed by SITTS.   They look good and can be seen at   https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/sittsperfect/sitts-cushions-a-natural-way-to-perfect-posture?ref=nav_search&result=project&term=sitts Or→ (http://www.sittsperfect.com)
  • A backrest cushion that gives iliac support.  Have a good look at the section here on iliac support that must not be higher than 20 cm above the seat and approximates as near as possible to the original Gorman model.
    • My patients loved the ‘PostureRight’ cushion which was designed by my old St Thomas’ colleague, Dr Bernard Watkins.
    • Various lumbar ‘Rolls’ are OK if correctly placed.
    • I have a cheap (£1) and cheerful wire & net model which works moderately well.

Remember the importance of exercise & movement.    Good Luck!

Screen Shot 2018-11-28 at 15.32.37There is plenty of well intentioned advice on backache to be found on the web.    But please read this first (Sorry, hard work, I know) so that you can distinguish the  rarely well informed from misinformation  and hype, some that is frankly laughable.  Just have a look at Google→.

The Hermann Miller account from being almost laughable is now good, probably as a result of being advised by Andersson, the Swedish scientist. I find the latest (2015) account too diffuse to be easily comprehensible and illustrates some retro models.

JD Gorman’s holistic/ chiropractic account can be seen at ‘Natural Joint mobility’.

Some is linked in Backache and GENERAL USERS

Screen Shot 2018-06-03 at 18.19.49

WHY? Mandal’s Homo sedens.

Screen Shot 2013-10-13 at 17.16.44AC Mandal was a leading Danish surgeon who wrote the    ‘The Seated Man’119.  Becoming disillusioned in the conventional wisdom of the principles of correct chair design, he transferred his scientific and critical training to that of the biomechanics of sitting.     ☞ Mandal

He observed that young children naturally sit with the chair tilted forwards onto the front legs.    They then support their elbows on the table, which for a small child is the right height, and the protective lumbar lordosis is effortlessly and correctly maintained.   As the child grows the height of the table becomes  relatively lowered and the child then sits in the usual semi slumped position. This results in short episodes of backache, which are ignored, and possibly to permanent stretching of the posterior spinal elements which can predispose to instability and a lifetime of adult  spinal pathology.
Screen Shot 2015-11-27 at 13.36.05

Drawing on the work of Keegan120 in the USA, Schorbath121 in Germany and Akerblom122 in Sweden he concluded that children are instinctively right to modify their seats to tilt forward with a slope of 10 to 20°. This allows the hip angle to open from 90° to 120° and  the pelvis to rotate forwards, on it’s fulcrum at the ischial tuberosities, so that the lowest two lumbar joints are in the extended (safe, lordotic) position, ensuring the correct lordotic posture.  No back rest was necessary and the torso was free to move.   His proposed solution was a combination of height adjustable desking and forward tilted seat similar to the equestrian seat.

The recommended ‘correct’ position was fundamentally wrong.    

MandalHe suggests that this posture was developed by taking a standing skeleton and sitting it on a chair.

  • A skeleton has advantages over a live human.
  • It can sit motionless all day.
  • It has no constraining muscles ligaments or IV Discs.
  • It is steaded with an iron bar down the vertebral canal.

 

(The 4 (+2) main adverse effects apply :-

  • There is a x2.5 increase in spinal loading over full reclination on the discs and 40% over that of standing upright (Nachemson, Sato but not Wilke).
  • The pelvis tends to tilt backwards reducing the important and protective wedge (lordotic) angle at the lower 2 lumbar joints.
  • The position may be prolonged in an office or work environment.
  • Lumbar (not pelvic)  support accentuates this effect.
  • And the hip flexion also tilts the pelvis backwards.
  • the vulnerable lower lumbar joints are forced into a flexed position so that the protective high wedge angle is reduced to a point that the disc contents are liable to move backwards and protrude.
  •  See  BIOMECHANICS that determine safe sitting

Screen Shot 2018-12-20 at 14.46.36He wondered how such a poor position could have been accepted as correct.

  • A chapter in his book is titled ‘Functionalism’s instruments of torture’ and he dates the decline to the 1930 Exhibition in Stockholm which had the slogan “Beauty in everyday furniture”.   Later he met the authority who created this concept who admitted that the image of the back of a standing person was simply cut and pasted to a drawing of a sitting person (personal communication).  It has no scientific basis.  This basic false premise is still regarded as ‘correct’, regardless of more recent scientific knowledge of spinal pathology and bio-mechanics and is still universally advised with an air of authority.   Mandal claimed that 90% of lower back pain was related to loss of this lumbar lordosis.
  • With the increasing liability to backache, an ergonomically ‘correct’ chair was sought.
  • Wrongly!   ☛The upright seated posture.→ Screen Shot 2015-11-28 at 15.44.41

Screen Shot 2016-01-14 at 18.19.39       Google→ shows an amazing collection of diagrams and pictures of ‘correct’ seating with a few that are actually correct.   For a similar account see bodyzone  shops→

This mistaken view of correct seating is still accepted and widely promulgated by authorities who advise on such matters.  Some detailed examples  :-

Screen Shot 2017-02-11 at 17.18.18

Correct?

  1. Another diagram for correct seating actually spells out the arguably adverse ergonomic recommendations!  (outlined in red)

badsit5The lady is sitting  bolt upright, to attention, like a guardsman.  The body position shown is cramped and movement, which is necessary for comfort and disc nutrition, is hardly possible.

There is no armrest.  Some authorities maintain that this allows greater movement of the upper torso.  However support under the elbows prevents dropping of the shoulder girdle which can be tiring and uncomfortable.  Support at the wrists helps to prevent RSI.

The diagram shows the neck in the correct neutral position.  Unsupported cervical flexion results in much greater axial compression.  (This is equivalent to looking downwards when standing,  see Hansraj KK. 2014)

A greater viewing distance allows the intrinsic eye muscles to relax.   The rule should be to be as far from the screen as vision allows comfortably.  If necessary get glasses, tinted against glare, adjusted to 36 inches.

Screen Shot 2018-06-11 at 21.04.14This diagram might be acceptable, a semi-partial remediation, if the point was made that it incorporated the alternative ‘Pelvic (iliac) support’ instead of ‘lumbar support’ as is shown. This alternative solution of applying the support directly to the pelvic (iliac) crest, ensures that it was unable to rotate backwards. This support should be a particular shape and size to spread the pressure loading.  (See later under ☛ Pelvic & Lumbar support→).

There are now many well engineered and comfortable office chairs in the market.      Screen Shot 2016-02-14 at 18.18.00Most have a fundamental bio-mechanical fault.  They rely on the mid- upright mode of sitting for prolonged work.  As has been shown this combines the two most adverse effects although the backward pelvic tilt can be modified by a FTS or lumbar support. My own opinion on a number of top range chairs, as shown, is of admiration of the design and engineering  mixed with awareness that the most essential bio-mechanical points have yet to be fully appreciated.   The following are better than most as efforts have been made to incorporate pelvic support (with reservations).Chairs2014-04-03 at 14.10.35

 

Ergonomics-standard-diagramThe latest version of BS EN 527-1: 2011,(the European standard specified dimensions for office desks and tables.)  state that fixed height desks should be 740mm ± 20 mm and desks should adjust between 650mm and 850mm for sitting modes and between 650mm and 1250mm for sit/stand desks.

The suggestion of a FTS would have been helpful.

Next, see ☛ Various chairs. How do they measure up?

Screen Shot 2013-10-13 at 14.47.34

 

 

REMEDIATION of the Upright Seated mode.

 Already described are the  adverse effects of mid-upright sitting → 
2 worst combinations

Derived from these findings are the ergonomic requirements to help remediate  the adverse effect of the Upright seated mode.  Essentially there are two.

2 remediations

Derived from these findings are the ergonomic requirements to help remediate the adverse effect of the Upright seated mode. Essentially these are two.

  1. Screen Shot 2018-07-05 at 18.20.22 ☛forward tilted seat→,
  2.  ☛Pelvic support→,
  3.  The Ischial off-load system.   A third, now often used for Upright seated mode remediation in a number of chairs is derived from a combination of the 2 above.    The seat-pan is convex so that the front half acts as a forward tilted seat and the back half allows the user to sink back into the back support.   Hopefully this is correct iliac support.

These remediations, aimed to give improved ergonomics for any chair should be examined carefully as they are commonly misapplied due to failure to understand the underlying scientific basis.   Some insight can be gleaned from ☛Various chairs. How do they measure up?

Upright sitting mode

The above diagram (but not my comments) was derived from https://www.chairoffice.co.uk/blog/the-ergonomics-of-a-chair-explained/   with the following advice …

  1.  A seat height that ranges from 16 to 21 inches off the floor should work for most people. 
  2. A proper seat depth should leave between 2 and 4 inches between the edge of the seat and the back of your knees. If the seat is too far forward, it may put undue pressure at the back of the knees. 

  3. Seat tilt.
      Good ergonomic chairs will allow the seat to tilt, which allows for correct positioning of Screen Shot 2013-10-16 at 20.36.32the pelvis. Anterior pelvic tilt is a posture problem that affects almost everyone who sits a lot, which is why it’s important to keep the pelvis in a neutral position when sitting, with 80 degree angles at the hips, knees and ankles. (Anterior pelvic tilt is used in the anatomical sense.  In the popular use is a Backward tilt.) 
  4. Backrest Lumbar support.   This refers to the support given to your lower back, and is an essential feature of an ergonomic chair. Ergonomic chairs support the natural ‘S’ shape of the spine, which prevents slumping and reduces stress on the spine and the pelvis. An adjustable backrest allows users to align the curve in the chair with the curve in their spine, for optimal support. (Misleading as no distinction is made beweem Lumbar (Bad) and pelvic (Good). 
  5. Backrest recline  An adjustable backrest allows for greater tailored positioning for the user, as they can move the backrest to more specifically support their natural spine position. Using this feature throughout the day allows the backrest to take some of the weight from your upper body, reducing the pressure on your spinal disks and muscles.  (2T Requirement 6.  Variability at head and feet only.   These are the most variable parts of the human body, in the reclined mode.       Adjustments avoided elsewhere.      ☛Adjustments→. )
  6. The swivel in an ergonomic chair helps users with their manoeuvrability, making it easier to reach different points of their desks without having to strain excessively.  (and to escape from the chair).
  7. Armrests help to reduce tension in the upper body and allow the shoulders to relax. However, armrests should not be used when typing as this reduces overall arm movement, which in turn increases wrist movement leading to strain on the forearm muscles.  (Contradictory.   Do we or don’t we use armrests?  One that tilts back out of the way is an answer.)
  8. Headrests supports the back of the head and the upper neck, reducing tension in the shoulders and upper torso.   ( Of use for contemplating the ceiling in an upright work mode.  Important for the 2T reclined mode,   Requirement 4. A correctly placed head/neck-rest is required so that the occupant has no need to move the neck to establish the task-related visual field.)
  9. The material should not cause the user’s back to sweat. However, the materials used will depend on the budget; high-end ergonomic chairs will use leather or velvet.


Screen Shot 2018-12-03 at 11.49.53This not unreasonable account shows that remediations of the upright seated mode has come to the end of the road.     They are not a solution to fully reduce  the incidence of backache (LBP).   This would require a new technical fix that addresses all identified adverse bio-mechanics effects of prolonged upright sitting.    Next ☛  A FULL SOLUTION

Helpful pages include

Final pathway2The effects that all need to be avoided for an ergonomic solution to spinal dysfunction.